About “Reflektor”

Released on a vinyl single under the alias of The Reflektors on 9/9/13, this song features David Bowie on backing vocals.

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What makes the song important?

“Reflektor” was the titular opening track and first single from Arcade Fire’s fourth album. It was highly anticipated after The Suburbs brought them a degree of mainstream recognition.

It features David Bowie on vocals. This introduced him to James Murphy, who he would collaborate with several times before Bowie’s death in 2016.

What does the song sound like?

The seven-minute disco-influenced track opens with a sample from “Tunnels”, digitally edited by Kid Koala.

The melody is primarily based around Will Butler’s synths complemented by Colin Stetson’s brass arrangements. It also has a strong rhythm section, characteristic of Reflektor.

What have the artists said about the song?

Win Butler explained that the lyrics were inspired by “The Present Age”, an essay by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard:

This is like in 1846, and it sounds like he’s talking about modern times. He’s talking about the press and alienation, and you kind of read it and you’re like, ‘Dude, you have no idea how insane it’s gonna get.’

“He offered to lend us his services because he really liked the song. In fact, he basically threatened us – he was like, ‘If you don’t hurry up and mix this song, I might just steal it from you!’ So we thought, well why don’t we go one better, why don’t you sing on our version? Thankfully he obliged, and we were really happy about that.”